English translation — משיחות ש״פ עקב, כ״ג מנחם־אב, מבה״ח אלול ה׳תנש״א

Standing on Shabbat Mevarchim of the month of Elul - which is called the month of accounting'

(being the last month of the year)

,

When one needs to make a cheshbon hanefesh,

A proper accounting of the avodah during the past year - is a fitting time to delve into the general content of the cheshbon hanefesh,

And in the avodah that this should evoke in a Jew.

And since also the special determination of Rosh Chodesh

(during the weekdays)

is with hashgacha pratis and precisely - one can derive a lesson in the accounting of the month of Elul also from the following:

(a)

The two days of Rosh Chodesh Elul

(the _"head" which includes and leads all the days of the month²)

are on the holy Sabbath day and on its morrow, the first day

(as was said in the blessing of the month)

.

(b)

Shabbat Mevarchim Elul occurs this year in Parshas Eikev.

Since the month of Elul is the month of accounting and summary of the service of the entire year,

is included in it

(the intent and purpose of)

the entirety of man's service

to serve his Creator

(throughout the entire year)

,

as it is alluded to in the acronym of "Elul"² - "I am³ my Beloved's and my Beloved is mine",

what this is the general content of man's service⁴ - that his existence

(I)

should become connected and united with the Most High

(my Beloved)

.

And the connection is in two ways: I am for my Beloved - the awakening and service of a Jew from below to above,

in a manner of arousal from below,

so that he draws himself and connects himself with the Most High,

by serving Him with Torah and mitzvos; and my Beloved is for me - the continuation and assistance

(With the help of Heaven)

From the Most High to Jews from above downwards,

In the manner of an arousal from above.

And the order of the service is,

That first comes "Ani l'dodi" and then "V'dodi li"

[Not like the order in another verse"

Of Parshat Eikev,

23 Menachem-Av,

from the chosen month of Elul

and 75

"My beloved is mine and I am his,"

First the arousal from above and then the arousal from below,

As the order of service is in the month of Nissan, because in this consists the purpose and foundation of all matters,

That first and foremost comes the service from below upward,

The service in one's own strength of the "I" - he should not wait until there will be an arousal from above,

an arousal from above,

Only he

("I")

should be aroused by himself "to my Beloved",

to the Most High,

as is known, the intention and purpose of the creation of man and the descent of the soul below and the perfection

(pleasure)

of man as the Most High established him is,

that what he receives should not be "bread of shame"—

Free,

not earned but shame-bread / including - through a gift from above

[And as the well-known saying of the holy Rebbe, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, that "In Chabad, there is no automatically"]

,

But that he should earn it through his own service⁵,

And in the language of our Sages - "If I have not labored and found, do not believe,

I labored and found, believe",

[And simply - that is the nature of all people

(even non-Jews)

,

and certainly Jews,

and certainly when

they do their service with excessive toil above their natural and customary way

(in the aspect of "servant of God"*)

]

.

And through this "Ani l'Dodi"

(the arousal from below)

He brings about that there should be "v'Dodi Li",

the arousal from above and the drawing down from above to below.

That is,

Although before an arousal from below one receives a grant of power and heavenly assistance

[as is explained⁶ especially regarding the month of Elul,

that then the Thirteen Attributes of Mercy are revealed,

As the parable of "The king in the field",

In the manner of an arousal from Above,

And from this*⁷ one has the power for the service of "I am for my Beloved" in the month of Elul]

-is in the month of Elul"

(The month of accounting of the entirety of the year's service)

Emphasizing the purpose of the entirety of man's service,

That one begins with "I am for my Beloved"

(and then "And my Beloved is for me")

,

Because the approach of a Jew throughout the entire year

[Even when he stands at the conclusion of the service in the last month of the year,

after the service during the previous eleven months]

must be,

that

(he should not rely on that which is beyond time,

but)

First and foremost, the main thing is one's own Avodah from the perspective of the lower one

[On weekdays

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

("Sadeh")

specifically from the month of Elul

,

And through this, there should subsequently be drawn down "V'Dodi Li": and in this

("Ani L'Dodi")

The ultimate purpose of all matters consists,

Or

(air)

The completeness of the arousal from above - specifically when it emerges from the service of a Jew in his own writing,

And through this, the arousal from above is drawn in a pnimiyut,

And further - that through the arousal from below, an even higher arousal from above is then drawn

("And my beloved is mine")

As that which comes from above before the service".

And to add,

Then this matter is also hinted in what the acronym of "Elul"

("I")

is the letter Aleph,

the first letter of the 22 letters of the Torah: being the first letter of the Aleph-Beit,

points to the first and highest level at the beginning of all letters

(in order from bottom to top)

,

Its number is one

(one)

"/ and from this one then ascends from below to above

(from the light to the heavy)

to the letter Beit,

Its number is two

(times as much),

and then Gimel - three times as much,

Vav.

A level above a level until the letter Tav - the seal and perfection of the letters,

What means the ultimate perfection- four hundred ⁸.

On the other hand,

The letter Aleph is the beginning and head of all the 22 letters of the Torah, with which the world was created\",

From it derive all matters in the world.

And in the service of G-d, this hints at the service by his own power of the lower one

("I am to my Beloved"/ that begins

(from the "I")

from below and then ascends from below to above from the light to the heavy; and this becomes the beginning and foundation of all matters,

also of the influences from above

("and my Beloved is mine")

.

Since both concepts of "Ani l'Dodi" and "Dodi li" are included in the acronym of "Elul"

(The month of reckoning/ it is plausible to say that in particular, both concepts are present in the service and accounting of the soul of a Jew in the month of Elul,

Both the concept of "Ani l'Dodi" - a service from below upward,

And the concept of "Dodi li" - a service from above downward

[Although in general terms, "Ani l'Dodi" means the service of man and "Dodi li" means the drawing down from above]

; And since the Almighty desired that all thoughts and influences from above should be drawn down through a service similar to this below - it can be said,

that through the fact that in the service of a Jew there is a likeness of "Dodi li"

(a service in a manner from above downward)

,

This is the vessel to continue "V'dodi Li" literally,

The arousal from above of all the influences from the Supreme One below.

And one could say,

That the form of the round cakes in the month

Shabbos Parshas Eikev,

23 Menachem-Av 4 of the month of Elul

Elul - "Ani L'dodi" and "V'dodi Li" - are hinted at in the two days of Rosh Chodesh Elul.

(That Rosh Chodesh Elul is

(in this time)

always two days,

since the month of Menachem-Av is always full)

,

And in the language of the verse: "And on your new moons" (plural form),

as explained in the Zohar: "And how many heads are there for the moon,

but two heads

(in each and every month)

.

And in particular and with emphasis - in the fixing of Rosh Chodesh Elul in this year - on the holy Shabbat day and on the first day of the week:

Sunday and Shabbat are hints and signify two orders and shields in time: Sunday is the beginning of the count of the days of the week from below upward,

and Shabbat indicates a count and order from above downward.

As it was at the beginning of creation - on the first Sunday of Maaseh Bereishis and the first Shabbat: On Sunday of Maaseh Bereishis the creation began and the count of time of the days of the week from below upward: Sunday,

Monday,

Tuesday,

on the sixth day and the seventh day: and so it repeats on every Sunday,

that one begins counting anew "today is day one"

(like the example of the first Sunday²⁷)

,

and the count repeats cyclically in order and gradation from bottom to top,

from Sunday to Shabbos

[and the eating and completeness of

the elevation of Shabbos is aroused through the service during the six days of the week,

As our Sages said² "Whoever toiled on the eve of Shabbat will eat on Shabbat"]

.

In addition, there is a second order and reckoning - from above to below: even though the existence of time is a created being",

that time was created at the first moment of the first day of Maaseh Bereishis - it is stated in the books"/ that before creation

(during the six days of creation)

there was a Shabbat⁵

[As is known, before the creation of time there was something of the nature of time,

a "sequence of times

(beforehand)

"²'■]

and the day of Shabbos

(before the time of the six days of creation)

blesses all the six

(my seven■'■)

The days of Bereishis,

And all times are included,

And there is an order of time from above to below - from Shabbos

(perfection)

is drawn down

(blessing and drawing down⁵'■)

into the six days

[And similarly, every Shabbos - the eighth, all the days are blessed"'■]

.

And just as this is in the counting of times,

So too is the distinction between Sunday and Shabbos in the content of their service: On Sunday of the week begins the

Sefer Chashechez - 5751

the order of service on weekdays,

in an order from the light to the heavy

(from below to above / beginning from Sunday

(the easiest service¹⁴)

,

And then one ascends to a difficult service on the second day

("in which was created controversy"■/ or then in the days after this,

until the completion of the service on the sixth day,

the day of the creation of the first man",

until the completion of the day of Shabbat

("And the heavens and the earth and all their host were finished""■)

.

However, the service on Shabbat is in a manner of from above to below - initially with completeness and delight,

eating fatty meat and aged wine etc."

(and from this is drawn down power from Above to Below

(from which all blessings flow)

into the days of the week that follow this)

.

And it can be said that in a parallel manner, there are two distinct numbers and orders in the service of man

[Because since "In the beginning for the sake of Israel",

are all matters in creation - including the two orders of time mentioned above - here

(for the sake and)

in the service of Jews]

,

the counting from below upward,

and it begins from the first day of the week and leads to Shabbat,

and the counting from above downward,

What

3> to note that on the first day,

The Holy One, blessed be He, was alone in His world״

(And therefore it is called ״one day״ - Bereishis 1,

5 and Rashi there

(from Bereishis Rabbah ch. 3,

8>)

,

that this work is easy,

and especially on the city of the day of the second [day] on which division was created

(Genesis 1,

Bereishis Rabbah 84,

and the days after this,

that each day he ascends in his service,

until the completion of the work on the sixth day

(the day of man's creation / and the day of Shabbat,

as inside.

It begins directly from Shabbat and blesses the six days that follow it:

A Jew consists of two parts - a soul and a body: his soul is a "veritable part of G-d above,"

that even in the world of materiality

(literally")

,

In the physical world of Asiyah,

Is she a "part of G-d from above"; and his body which is "dust from the earth"

("man's foundation is from dust")

,

"For dust you are and to dust you shall return"

[Dust is from the language and concept of self-nullification,

"And let my soul be like dust to everyone"⁴,

As a soul in a body, completeness, all the more so the understanding that "And let my soul be like dust to everyone,"

How much more so his body⁴.

On the part of his body,

"Dust from the ground"

(For the dust was created

(the earth)

on the first day of Maaseh Bereishit⁵^ must be service

(In clarification of the body)

To be with an order and gradation from below upward,

Parshas Eikev,

23 Menachem Av 5751, beginning of the month of Elul

From the light to the heavy,

From "dust you are" he shall ascend level after level upward.

[And in this consists the main service and the fixed order in man's service - as follows p. 47]

.

But from the perspective of his soul, a Jew has the power to perform his service in a manner of from above to below,

Not to proceed with an order from the light to the heavy,

But rather to do his service with utmost perfection,

In a "Shabbos-like manner",

heavenly craft⁵.

Since, even being a soul in a body below

(in the physical world)

he is a "part of G-d above",

Connected with heaven above,

A "Himmel Yid" - he has the power and he must from himself initially demand completeness of the service,

Until - great and wondrous things,

Until - the perfection of "a day that is entirely Shabbat and rest for the life of the worlds"⁵⁵.

And it can be said that these are the two aspects of "I am to my Beloved"

(from below to above)

and "and my Beloved is mine"

(from above to below)

which are hinted at

(air)

In the determination of Rosh Chodesh Elul in this year — on Shabbos and on the first day — which gives out the general content of the accounting of the soul that a Jew needs to make of his avodah throughout all the days of the year: that in his avodah every day — whether on a weekday or on Shabbos and Yom Tov — there must be both orders:

(a)

That avodah is in order and gradation from below to above.

And this must be air on Shabbos and on Yom Tov,

even on the day of "one as a year"

(Yom Kippur)

and Simchas Torah,

when

one is engaged in a service beyond measure and limitation - as emphasized in the fact that all days of the year,

except for Shabbos and Yom Tov,

are counted according to the count of days from the days of the week from below upward

(Sunday,

Monday etc.)

,

As it is said in the "Song of the Day" of the days.

And one would also offer the daily offering that is offered every day, etc.

(b)

And on the other hand: each day - even on weekdays - must be

(from the perspective of the soul of a Jew)

a service from above to below,

similar to the service of Shabbat,

As in the discourse

(Beit)

Shammai on "Remember the Shabbos day to sanctify it"⁵⁵,

"That you should remember it from the first day of the week, so that if a nice portion comes your way, you should set it aside for Shabbos"*⁵,

Like the practice of the elder Shammai, "that all his days he would eat for the honor of Shabbos,

How? If he found a nice animal, he would buy it and say, 'This is for Shabbos,'

If he found another nicer than it, he would buy it and set it aside for Shabbos, etc.'"

Then even on each weekday, he would hear and do

(similar to the)

the perfect service of Shabbos

[See there "Hillel had a different trait, that he would say clearly"⁵ "Hashem, day by day He apportions to us our needs"⁵⁷,

the order of service from below upwards²⁴]

.

.

And collectively, the children of Israel - these are the two

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Matters: The difference between Yissachar and Zevulun: Yissachar pertains to 'Marei Torah'⁶ - whose main service is Torah study,⁶

Behinas Shabbos⁶² - a service from above to below; Zevulun pertains to the baalei osek²⁸,

Whose main service is in the performance of the mitzvos,

Which are clothed in physical matters and natural ways

(Which is from business dealings)

- mundane actions,

What is in a hadar from below to above

(Sunday,

Monday, etc.)

.

Between the two days of Rosh Chodesh Elul

(In this year - Shabbos and Sunday)

Is the main day - the second Rosh Chodesh*■⁶

(First day, when the count of the days of the month of Elul begins

(Mishnah Berurah: on the first day of Rosh Chodesh - Shabbos - is the thirtieth day of the month of Menachem Av)

,

as it is also expressed in that on the second day of Rosh Chodesh Elul begin most of the customs

(and the customs)

of the month of Elul

(such as the sounding of the shofar⁶⁵ and the like)

,

And only individual matters begin on the first day of Rosh Chodesh.

And one can say the reason for this in connection with the determination of this year:

Just as in the general concept of "Ani

ledodi vedodi li" the beginning and essence is "Ani ledodi",

the service from below,

and afterward comes the drawing down from above

(as above, p. 42)

-so it is also in the service of man himself,

So the main point and foundation is "I am to my Beloved" - the service from below upward.

(From the perspective of the body of a Jew, which is from the dust)

,

And then -

(And in addition to this)

- comes "and my Beloved is mine,"

the service from above downward.

(From the perspective of his soul)

.

And further: completeness of power to be able to do the avodah of "v'Dodi Li"

(revelation of the soul)

comes specifically through "Ani l'Dodi,"

as follows.

And similarly in the counting of times: The main counting of days is from the first day; only in addition to this there is the concept of Shabbat before creation.

And correspondingly, the second day of Rosh Chodesh falls out — the main of the two days of Rosh Chodesh Elul — on the first day of the week,

for in this consists the beginning and the main reckoning of the month of Elul — the avodah of "Ani l'Dodi" from below upward.

(The theme of the first day)

.

But since this is a calculation that includes all matters of divine service - there is also in it the service of "And my Beloved is mine" - as hinted in the first day of Rosh Chodesh Elul,

on the holy Sabbath day

(whose theme - service from above to below)

⁶⁶.

Shabbat Parshat Eikev,

23rd of Menachem Av,

From Mevaser Chodesh Elul

and 75

The explanation in this:

The regular and fixed order in man's service is - the service of "Ani l'Dodi"

(from below to above)

,

And because that the Holy One, blessed be He, desired to have for Himself a dwelling in the lower worlds,

The service must be according to the laws of the lower realms,

and the way the Almighty established the world

(lower realms)

in a natural manner is,

that one must proceed in an order from below to above,

from the light to the heavy

(And in Torah study - a five-year-old for Scripture,

ten for Mishnah, etc.³²"

and the like)

.

And accordingly it emerges that although the service of making a dwelling place in the lower worlds is carried out both through the service from below upward and through the service from above downward – nevertheless it is even more emphasized in the service from below upward

(according to the limitations of the lower ones)

.

And although a Jew has a soul which is "from the upper realms"³³,

a "veritable portion of G-d from above"

(by virtue of which he has the ability for service from above downward,

as above)

-But the Almighty sent down the soul below into a physical body,

which is "from the lower ones"³⁴

("dust from the earth"/ in this lower world that there is no lower beneath it",

And because in this consists the ultimate purpose of all matters - that a Jew,

a soul in a body,

should make a dwelling for Him, blessed be He, in the lower realms.

And therefore the main and constant service of a Jew consists - with his soul as it is clothed in a body,

Without service in a natural way, measured according to

Boundaries of the physical body and the nature of the world - service from below upward,

"I am my Beloved's."

And also the service of "and my Beloved is mine"

(drawing down from above downward)

,

From the revelation of the soul,

must not be detached from the lower,

But in a manner of drawing down from above to below,

"And my Beloved is mine,"

the existence of man

(the body)

.

And accordingly, one can say the reason why the primary counting of time for a Jew is from the first day of the week,

For ostensibly, since the creation of man was on the sixth day—and every person is compared to Adam the first man

(as in "Therefore Adam was created alone"⁷)

- And then indeed it was the "And Hashem G-d formed man of dust from the ground,"

But in a manner that "And He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life"⁷¹,

"A veritable part of G-d from above" - then the counting of time through man had to begin from the sixth day

(d.

the sixth day - "This day is the beginning of Your works"⁷⁷ - had to be the first day)

?! Only because the intention is to make a dwelling in the lower worlds,

a lower realm that has no lower realm beneath it,

Therefore the service must begin

(not with the completion of the work

(the sixth day / after the completion of all creation,

"And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good",

and everything was in completeness "so that [man] could enter

(man)

to the feast immediately"⁷⁴,

but)

from the lowest level,

from the light to the heavy,

from below to above.

And on the contrary: specifically, the lower ones become the

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

a dwelling place for Him, blessed be He,

for His essence³⁹-⁷.

In the manner that this is regarding the creation of the world,

then the essential power of the true reality is revealed specifically in the entity of the subject"⁷,

That "He alone, with His power and ability, creates something from nothing, etc."⁷⁷.

And likewise regarding the soul and body,

that the completeness of the revelation of the "actual part of G-d from above"

("And He blew into his nostrils a soul of life")

- and when the power is given that a Jew can do his service with ultimate mastery

(in the manner of "and my Beloved is mine",

from above to below)

- is specifically revealed in the soul as it is clothed in the body below

(in the physical world)

,

and through the avodah from below to above of "Ani l'Dodi"

(according to the limits of the body)

.

And along the lines of "all is from the dust"*⁷,

also the sun,

moon and stars - the host of heaven'■⁷.

And similarly, it can be said regarding the body that was made from dust,

since in him

(the created existence)

there is the power of the essence

(the true existence) therefore through him - the clothing of the soul in the body - are drawn all matters,

also the matters hidden in the heavens above

(which come all from His essence, may He be blessed)

""

And specifically through the service of elevation

of the lowest and most inferior

(the body)

,

is revealed the superior perfection also from the most superior,

the "actual part of G‑d from Above".

And as is known, the parable for this:"

(from "And the mountains were weighed in scales")

Then the elevation of the matters most sublime is brought about specifically by raising that which is the lowest.■".

According to the above, it is understood that the content of the reckoning and service of the month of Elul — as expressed in its initial letters "Ani l'Dodi v'Dodi li" — consists of three matters: the service of

(א)

"Ani l'Dodi,"

(ב)

"v'Dodi li,"

and

(ג)

The joining of both together,

in one word and one month — Elul:

"I am for my beloved" consists of the service of man in the clarification of the lower

(the body)

from below upward,

from the light to the difficult.

That although this brings the person to the revelation

Shabbos Parshas Ekev,

23 Menachem Av,

Rosh Chodesh Elul

From "Dodi" only as it is determined according to the arousal from below and the boundaries of the bed

(from the "Ani",

which is below "Anochi" / but it has the advantage that it comes through one's own service and it takes him through inwardly.

"VeDodi Li" is revealed through the service of a Jew from this kind,

in a manner of drawing down from above to below - through the revelation of his soul.

(which is a "veritable part of G-d from above")

.

What this does not actually so pass through the lower one

(like the service from below to above/ because this comes through a revelation from above,

but this reaches a higher level in the revelation of G-dliness

("and my Beloved")

like the revelation of "my Beloved" in the "I

("to my Beloved")

".

The completeness of everything is when we have the connection of both aspects - "Ani l'Dodi" and "v'Dodi li" - together: that the level of Divinity

("Dodi")

which is higher than the "Ani"

(the existence of man below/ is revealed inward in the "Ani",

within the limits of the lower one.

Until they become one actual thing,

without distinction between them - through the revelation of the Essence

(that is above lower and upper,

and above upper and lower)

- which is revealed specifically in and through the "I"

(yesh)

below.

As discussed above,

then the completion of the revelation of "V'Dodi Li"

(the revelation of the "actual part of G-d from above"/ up to the true yesh,

His Essence, blessed be He,

is revealed and uncovered specifically through and in the "I

(to my Beloved)

",

(the service of this)

the created being,

the world of Asiyah,

what Mitzvah

(At the beginning of the avodah)

He enters an order of avodah from below to above

(Asiyah,

Yetzirah,

Beriah, Atzilus)

,

But afterwards - through that which the "Ani l'Dodi" brings afterwards

the avodah of "v'Dodi Li"

(From above to below — Atzilus,

Briah,

Yetzirah,

Asiyah)

,

Divinity that is above creation becomes revealed also in the "I",

until it becomes "And my Beloved is mine",

"Every place where 'to me' is said never moves"⁴,

Then in the "li" from the "ani"

(the created yesh)

becomes a true and eternal yesh

(Above the definitions of time and space of creation⁵,

which are inherently connected with changes)

.

From this, an essential point that must be in the cheshbon hanefesh of the month of Elul is understandable: the cheshbon tzedek of the avodah during all the days of the year must be in three matters":

(א)

When a Jew has done the avodah of "Ani l'Dodi" in the manner of mi'lemata l'ma'alah,

how much of his own energies and toil he invested in that avodah,

and in general - the accounting regarding the avodah of clarifying the body and its portion in the world.

(ב)

Furthermore - a Jew should not confine himself only to the accounting of the soul regarding his avodah min hakal el hakaved,

rather, he must also make an accounting of how he performed the avodah of "V'dodi li" in the manner of mi'lemala l'mata,

a complete

(Shabbos-dikke)

Avodah that every Jew can and must demand of himself by virtue of having a soul

(what the Almighty Himself,

"Melech Chai Vekayam"⁷",

has given him and gives him every morning)

.

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

(ג)

In addition, he must also have the connection of both matters together: even when he is in the completeness of the service,

this must be connected with "

(my Beloved)

to me",

with the person

("I")

as he is a soul in a body below.

And on the contrary: specifically through this "I am to my Beloved" comes the revelation of "my Beloved is to me",

As above.

And just as, and through this, a Jew will make the account of righteousness regarding his own service

(from the small world, "this is man")

- he also makes the account of his portion in the world,

until - that he has the power to make the account of the entire world,

"Come, let us reckon the account of the world"⁴⁸,

as the ruling of the Rambam,

that through one mitzvah a Jew has the power to tip the scales "for himself and for the entire world to the side of merit and bring about for him and for them salvation and deliverance."

Accordingly, one will also understand the connection with the portion of the Shabbos Mevarchim Elul,

Parshas Eikev:

In the word "Eikev" at the beginning of our parshah, there are several interpretations.

Among them are interpretations from one extreme to the other: Rashi explains that "Eikev" means "easy mitzvos that a person tramples with his heels"⁴⁹.

Other commentators on the verses explain that "Eikev" means "end and conclusion"

["In the Holy Tongue, they call the beginning of every thing by the term 'head', etc., and similarly they call the end of every thing 'eikev',

for language takes its simile from man: the head is the beginning, and the heel is the end and conclusion"⁵⁰]

,

"Like forever, Eikev,

"reward

in the end"⁵¹.

That is,

that 'And it will be, because you will listen' means the reward that one receives at the end and conclusion of the work

(completeness of the work)

.

If this corresponds with the simple meaning,

then "eikev" means "because"⁵²: "And it will be because — because of this — 'you will listen to these ordinances and keep and do them,'"

one will receive the reward 'and the L-rd your G-d will keep for you the covenant.'

Since both interpretations are in the same verse,

and moreover — in the same word,

it is understandable that they have a connection and relationship between them⁵³.

One must understand: What is the connection between the two aforementioned interpretations — seemingly they are not only separate interpretations,

but actually opposite interpretations: According to Rashi, "eikev" means a low level in divine service,

until the beginning of the work

("light commandments" x regarding a person who needs to have caution that he should not be "trampling with his heels" on the "light commandments": but according to the second interpretation it means "heel"

(the reward that comes upon)

completion and perfection

(end and afterpart)

the work

(from "you shall listen and guard and do",

thought and speech and action")

?!

The question is also on Rashi himself: It already states earlier in the Torah⁵⁴ "Because Avraham listened to My voice",

And Rashi does not comment there at all,

Because it is simple by itself,

The simple meaning of "Ekev" is - "because" or "due to"

(Because of this that "Avraham listened to My voice" he receives the reward)

.

What forces

Shabbos 9, Ekev,

Tuesday, Menachem-Av,

from Rosh Chodesh Elul

and 76

Rashi in our parshah removes the word "ekev" from its simple interpretation and explains that "ekev" here means "mitzvos kalos she'adam dash be'ekvav."

And one can say the explanation of this according to the above: the revelation of the completion and perfection of the service

("ekev" in its interpretation means end and latter)

,

"And my beloved is mine" is opened specifically through the beginning of the work in the lowest [place].*

(easy commandments)

,

"I am my beloved's".

Similarly, regarding the general concept of the month of Elul - that although it is the last month of the year

(after all the work during the year/ its beginning is with the letter Aleph

(the acronym of Elul/ because through the beginning of the work

(when one is still at the Aleph)

One achieves the perfection of the service.

From this comes a lesson in the accounting of the soul of the month of Elul, especially in connection with a matter that is time-bound - the true and complete redemption,

As discussed many times, and especially recently,

Since "I await him every day that he will come,"

And according to all the signs

It is "Here he is

(Moshiach)

With G‑d's help,

Therefore, one keeps oneself constantly thinking and speaking about the Redemption,

and one seeks to connect all matters of this time with the Redemption,

and the service of Jews is to hasten the Redemption.

And in our context: "Eikev" also contains the interpretation,

that this applies to "Eikev" in time — the generation of the footsteps of Moshiach,

and in particular, the footsteps of the footsteps of Moshiach — the present time.

And accordingly, the two interpretations above in "Eikev" also have two interpretations in "Eikev" meaning the footsteps of Moshiach:

(a)

From the term 'ekevayim'²•¹,

The lowest level.

Just as the heel of the foot is the lowest part of the human body,

So the generation of ikveta d'Meshicha is the lowest generation throughout all the generations,

When in the world there rules a darkness doubled and redoubled.

And as explained by our Sages'-•׳ the undesirable signs of the darkness of ikveta d'Meshicha

(Like 'in the footsteps of Mashiach, insolence will increase' and the like)

.

(b)

From the language of end and aftermath,

then this refers to the end and aftermath of the exile and the days,

immediately and at once,

clearly literally before the coming of Moshiach⁴"¹,

because it is already "all the deadlines have passed" and we stand ready for the redemption.

And particularly in this generation of ours and in this time of ours,

as discussed

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

several times,

Then the Rebbe (my master and father-in-law) testified and announced,

that all matters have already been completed,

completed also the "buttoning of the buttons",

and the only thing that remains is - the one movement from Above that He should take the Jews out of exile and bring them to the Holy Land.

.

.

And therefore Jews ask and cry out again and again - and now even more strongly than before - "Ad Mosai"?!.

.

.

And the connection of these two interpretations is,

That specifically because Ikalta d'Moshiach is the lowest of the low, in the aspect of heels

(and one must ascend from it from below to above / thereby the completeness of the coming of Moshiach in the true and complete redemption is revealed

(from above to below)

.

Until it becomes the connection of both things together

(that in the lowest of the exile, the redemption becomes -"golah" with a closed aleph-yud)

- in the Third Beis HaMikdash,

which is also a threefold Beis HaMikdash

(like a threefold cord*")

,

which also includes the First Beis [HaMikdash]

(What was in the aspect of from above to below⁷")

And the Second Temple

(In the aspect of from below to above⁷"¹)

,

And an eternal Temple",

In the eternal redemption after which there is no exile",

When there will be the completeness of the revelation of His Essence in the lower realms",

And the completeness of the li—

The wellspring of "I am to my Beloved and my Beloved is to me,"

"Every place where 'to me' is said never moves."

From this we also have a lesson regarding the charity accounting of the month of Elul - that it must be specifically regarding the situation of "Eikev",

the heels of Mashiach:

A Jew has the power to arouse himself and arouse other Jews,

and primarily to arouse, so to speak, the Almighty - that "Come let us make an accounting of the world": according to all accounts

(which the Almighty has indicated in His Torah and in the miracles He performs in the world)

The Almighty should have already brought from exile the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach

(as above and especially in this year,

which according to all calculations and signs is the "year that the king Moshiach is revealed in it"

(as discussed many times in recent months/

And especially coming from the "Three Weeks",

when Jews were engaged in studying the laws of the Holy Temple

(the Chosen House/ and through this the Almighty² "I consider them as if they are engaged in building the House",

and especially since the House is already standing and built above,

And he needs only to descend downward \"

And we are already after the fifteenth of Av,

What "from now on, whoever increases adds,"

"From the fifteenth of Av onwards, whoever adds nights to days to engage in Torah will add life to his life"⁴"

And we are already

(near the end)

Two

Parshiot Eikev,

23 Menachem-Av from Beis HaChayim Elul

Shabbos Nad 15 Av,

And if through guarding two Shabbosos properly, the Torah promises that "immediately they are redeemed"⁵,

And in addition is the Shabbos Mevarchim of the month of Elul,

The month when the Almighty stands as a "King in the field",

"And then⁵ are allowed

(and can*)

Anyone who wants to greet Him,

And he receives them all with a pleasant countenance and shows a smiling face to everyone,

And in addition to this - one finds him in the synagogue and the study hall and the house of good deeds,

And together with a congregation of Jews,

And from several congregations

(tens)

of Israel -

a Jew receives

(in this place and time)

The greatest powers and he also has the greatest merit and responsibility to ask and cry out to the Almighty: "Until when"?!.

.

.

* * *

Since we have already completed all matters of "our deeds and our service"⁷,

And accordingly we cry out and demand ״Until when״

(as discussed above)

- Immediately the stormy question arises: Since all matters have already been taken care of — how is it that

Mashiach Tzidkeinu has not yet come?!.

.

.

And perhaps we can say:

It is known the letter of the Baal Shem Tov where he transmits the answer of the King Mashiach to the question

(from the Baal Shem Tov)

“When will my Master come?” — “When your wellsprings spread outward.”

So the coming of Mashiach depends on spreading the wellsprings outward,

that your wellsprings of the teachings of Chassidus should spread and reach into “outward” — into the most external and distant details and matters of creation.

Since, after the many efforts of our Rabbis and leaders until now in spreading the wellsprings outward,

and to the greatest extent,

until in all circles of Israel

(as follows)

Moshiach has not yet come — one could possibly say,

that there is still a type of Jew that the spreading of the wellsprings has not reached,

as follows.

One need not elaborate on how much our Rabbis, the Nesi'im, throughout the generations have accomplished in spreading the wellsprings outward — because everyone can see this,

starting from the revelation of the teachings of Chassidus through the Baal Shem Tov,

and then — the addition that has been added to this from generation to generation through our Rabbis, the Nesi'im,

until our generation,

in which the work of spreading the wellsprings outward was expanded - by the Honorable, our master, father-in-law, the Rebbe, leader of our generation

(and especially after his arrival in the lower hemisphere)

- in an even higher manner compared to how it was before:

In addition to all the explanations and elucidations etc. in the inner dimension of the Torah that were added in this generation of ours,

(Based on the principles of the inner dimension of the Torah that were given before this) is the spreading of the wellsprings outward be-

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

became¹ in a manner - that it brings out and passes through the widest circles of Jews everywhere,

Jews of all types, layers in life; and a dissemination in all corners of the earth,

in all parts and corners of the world.

including and especially — through the translation of matters in Chassidus into the languages of the nations of the world,

which makes them accessible to everyone*";

that through all of this — the concepts of Toras HaChassidus have reached every type

(at least)

of Jew in "chutzah,"

until also the "chutzah" that is beyond chutzah,

so that every Jew — in whatever place and level he may be — has

(in any case)

the category and the ability

(even if at present he does not yet have any revealed connection to this)

to have a connection and bond with the wellsprings of Chassidus in his life.

Since after all this,

all these many actions of spreading the wellsprings outward until now,

and in the greatest abundance,

Mashiach has still not come - perhaps there is room to say

(at first glance)

,

Then there still remained a certain type and domain in "outside" which the "wellsprings" have not yet reached until now.

And perhaps this is the final obstacle to "Ati Mar"

(which comes as a result of the spreading of the wellsprings outward.

The thing,

which are founded and included

(in concealment)

In the Torah given to Moses at Sinai

(See Likkutei Sichos, Chayet, p. 252 onward.

and see there)

.

It occurred to me a rationale - that there is a whole category of letters of the script - into which the concealers of the teachings of Chassidus have not yet reached

(according to the information that is here)

:

For people - l"e - who do not have the ability to see, r"l

(Being "sagi nahor"¹/ they invented a special script,

which is called

(in the language of the country)

"Braille",

in which the letters of the script are prominent,

so that even one who is a sagi nahor, r"l,

can touch and feel the letters with his fingers,

And through this knowledge of what is written there.

It is self-understood,

that this is a complete state and condition of 'outside',

and even more - an 'outside' beyond which there is no outside"¹,

As understood from this itself - that after all the efforts and actions in spreading the wellsprings outward,

through which one has reached everywhere

(as above, p.14)

,

one has

(until now)

not reached in this 'place'.

Now came the innovation,

that in the last days a Tanya book was printed in 'Braille' - through which an innovation in the spreading of the wellsprings came about,

that it also reached the new category of 'outside'

(for the blind)

!

And even though the Tanya currently does not

Shabbos Parshas Eikev,

23 Menachem Av, from the month of Elul

reaches all Jews connected to this — but the essential matter is that the mere existence of a Tanya in "Braille" in the world — this alone brings the "wellspring" of Chassidus also into the category²⁴ of "outside"; and gives the possibility that the sources of Chassidus should be accessible also to those Jews who find themselves, G-d forbid, in a situation,

that in their lives they should have a connection to the teachings of Chassidus.

And especially — that the Tanya has already arrived in this Beis,

the Beis HaKnesses,

The study hall,

and a house of good deeds which is located within the four cubits of the holy feet of our master, teacher, and Rebbe, the Nasi of our generation, in the last ten years of his life in this world

(“Holiness does not move from its place”¹¹⁵)

- the source for dissemination of the wellsprings outward in all corners of the earth.

And we merited to continue his work in this synagogue and study hall and house of good deeds

(also by making in this place Chassidic farbrengens and the like, including and especially - the work of disseminating the wellsprings outward,

and with an addition in the manner of ascending in holiness.”

And we should add,

So, since the book of Tanya is 'the Written Torah of Chassidus'⁷²,

it is understood that in this Tanya are

included all matters from the wellsprings of the Baal Shem Tov of the teachings of Chassidus¹

[Just as in the Written Torah is included the entire Oral Torah,

"There is nothing that is not hinted at in the Torah"⁷⁴]

.

And in particular, one must say,

that in Tanya there is the aspect of the Oral Torah of Chassidus

(Torah SheBe'al Peh - not in Torah SheBichtav itself)

- The fifth part*¹⁵,

Last Folio¹⁵¹,

on the topic of Sefer Devarim

(The fifth book / "Mishgeh Torah" - which is called

(and is the source of air*)

"Torah she- benn"2"2n1.

The main point in all that was said above - is indeed the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach, in actual reality.

Consequently - whether what was said above has any relevance to this,

or not - now

(after having already initiated the matter of disseminating the wellsprings outward)

a certain thing,

that immediately and at once the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach must come!

Sefer HaSichos - 5751

And then there will also be the complete healing of all Jews,

"Air of the Jews - as our Sages said: 'In the future [to come], the blind will be healed, as it is stated: Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened.'"

"And furthermore - 'When [He] will come"

"(the Holy One, blessed be He)"

"to heal the world, He does not heal first except the blind,"

"so that they become \"light-filled\" in a superior way,"

"they have an abundance of light, simply,"

"(in a way that it does not diminish, Heaven forbid, the power of physical sight; and consequently they have the ability to read and learn Torah from the air of the regular script letters - like one of the people."

"And to note,"

So then

(at the time of the Redemption)

one will not need to access the written letters - because all Jews will hear Torah from Atzmus U'Mahus,

as it is said, "A new Torah shall go forth from Me"⁷,

through the true "talmid vatik" - Moshiach Tzidkeinu,

who "will teach all the people"* the "new Torah" of Atzmus U'Mahus with added explanation and elucidation etc.,

and study in the manner of seeing of Dukai"

so that one will not need to access the written letters,

And obviously in simplicity from that which it says "and they shall no longer teach a man his fellow, for they shall all know Me from their smallest to their greatest."

- And may it be His will,

Then immediately and at once after the moment - may it be a moment before the Redemption - through the study of the aforementioned Tanya by those who need it now - may the Upper One immediately heal them from it,

They should become "sagi nahor" in a superior sense as above.*

And read and learn Torah,

Until the ultimate perfection in Torah study in the true and complete Redemption,

"A new Torah from Me will go forth,"

as known.

And furthermore, and this is the main point: the true and complete redemption through our righteous Moshiach, immediately and at once.

Shabbos Parshas Re'eh,

1st day of Rosh Chodesh Elul